A Double Christmas Star {PP167}

Hi there, friends!  It's another week at The Paper Players where Jaydee is our hostess-with-the-mostess for a beautiful color challenge:

Two of my favorite shades of blue! I love blue for holiday cards and I couldn't wait to ink up Christmas Star--one of the fabulous single stamps available this season.  I am totally in awe of this stunning card by my friend Rita.  You really must go check it out and leave her some love--she's a fantastic artist!  I didn't think it was right to CASE her for my DT card so I tried to mix it up a bit and this was my first attempt:

 

Try as I might, I couldn't change the layout--it really is perfect! So, I embossed the star with white stampin' emboss powder on Whisper White cardstock and then sponged around with Pool Party and Midnight Muse ink.  Love the effect but I'm not sure I like other details I added.  So....still thinking I should come up with something else, I persevered and here's my second attempt:

A totally different look! This really is a simple card with just layers of Winter Frost Designer Series Stack , cardstock and Glimmer Paper.  The real stand-out is the star:

Embossed with Pool Party embossing powder on Midnight Muse cardstock, the Christmas Star really shines and highlights the pretty flourishes.  I used the Simply Scored Board to score across each line on the star.  Folding the points up creates a terrific dimensional look.  And speaking of dimensionals, one on each point is all it took to capture this star in place. 

The inside was just begging for another star across the center.  I love the companion sentiments from the Joyful Christmas set--perfect for the front and inside.  I hope you enjoyed my two-fer post today!  Be sure to check out the rest of the Paper Players Design Team with their fabulous projects.  We would love for you to join in the fun before our challenge closes on Friday, October 18th at Noon (PDT)

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

Supplies
Stamps: Christmas Star, Joyful Christmas, More Merry Messages
Ink: Pool Party, Midnight Muse, Versamark
Paper: Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Vellum CS; Silver Glimmer paper; Winter Frost DSP stack
Extras: Basic Rhinestones; Pool Party stampin' emboss powder; White stampin' emboss powder; Snow Burst embossing folder [retired]; sponges; Circle Framelits; Simply Scored board, Silver 1/8" ribbon 

Ornament Keepsakes {PP153}

Hiya friends! I've been real busy in my studio the last couple days and does it feel great!I hope to get an extra post up this week to show you what I've been creating.  In the meantime, it's time to play with my friends at The Paper Players!  The always-amazing-Ann has a fun theme challenge for us this week:

Thinking about cool holiday weather sure is nice right now when it's over 90 degrees and humid as a swamp here in North Florida!  Yikes! I grabbed some new designer paper and one of my favorite stamp sets and got busy!

 

If you've followed my blog for awhile, you know that I love non-traditional colors for holiday cards.  I'm kind of a non-traditional girl all 'round (just ask my Mom, lol).  I was inspired by a previous layout from Clean & Simple Stamping.  Now, I won't lie....there's nothing simple about this card!  Lots of little details that I so enjoy pulling together.  Allow me to show you:

It all started with the Eastern Elegance DSP.  I think the Bermuda Bay pattern looks a but like snowflakes, don't you?  The DSP gave me my color scheme: Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry & Smoky Slate.  The flourish from Creative Elements gives the suggestion of a branch on which to hang the festive ornaments.  The flagged ends were easily made with one corner of the Hexagon punch--perfect every time!  And, of course, it's not a holiday card without Glimmer Paper, right?

The Ornament Keepsakes stamp set isn't in the new catalog but it is still available and combined with the matching Framelits, makes holiday trimming easy as can be!

I'm a big fan of our Pewter Embossing Powder--it's slightly darker than silver and shows up nicely on Whisper White.  This sentiment is from an all-time favorite holiday set--More Merry Messages--also carried over even though it's not in the new catalog.

I hope you've enjoyed my non-traditional holiday card as much as I enjoyed making it!  Maybe you will consider playing along with us this week at The Paper Players?  We would love to see your work in the gallery before the challenge closes on Friday, July 12th at Noon (PDT).  Be sure to stop by and check out the rest of the Design Team for some fabulous creations!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Supplies
Stamps: Keepsake Ornaments; More Merry Messages; Creative Elements
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Smoky Slate, Versamark
Paper: Whisper White & Smoky Slate CS; Silver Glimmer Paper; Eastern Elegance DSP
Extras: Ornament Framelits; Hexagon punch; Basic Rhinestones; Itty Bitty Punch Pack

Cool Pool Snowflakes {PP125}

Hi everyone, glad you could join me for another week at The Paper Players!  I am delighted to host this week's color challenge with one of my favorite color combinations:

I really like the contrast of a cool blue shade, such as Pool Party, mixed with the deep rich red of Cherry Cobbler.  Paired with any neutral such as Crumb Cake or Basic Gray and it's heaven on cardstock!  My mojo seems to have taken an early holiday, so I took inspiration from a card I designed previously to create this for you:

Pretty simple really, using the Triple Stamping Technique.  The graduated sizes of Whisper White cardstock, largest to smallest, are 4" x 5.25", 3" x 4.25" and 2" x 3.25".  I held each layer together with removable adhesive and then stamped, stamped and stamped!  The Snowflake Soiree set really is so lovely and makes for elegant snowflakes. 

I inked the smallest snowflake and the More Merry Messages sentiment in Versamark and heat embossed them all with Pewter embossing powder.  It's a little darker than silver and, in my opinion, shows up better on the white cardstock.  On the third matted layer, I wanted to mix it up a little and instead of using another layer of Pool Party I added some glitz with Silver Glimmer Paper.  Love the stuff!

I do hope you'll find a little time this week to join in our color challenge.  Be sure to pop over to The Paper Players to see all the lovely inspiration from my gal pals on the design team.  They outdid themselves this week!  Our challenge ends Friday, December 14th at Noon (PST).  Thanks for stopping by!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

 
Supplies 
Stamps: Snowflake Soiree; More Merry Messages
Ink: Pool Party, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray Classic Inks; Versamark
Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White CS; Silver Glimmer Paper
Xtras: Pewter embossing powder; Basic Rhinestones
 

Snow Many Snowmen {PP124}

Hello friends! Can you believe it's December already? Wow, where did this year go? Wherever it went, it sure went fast didn't it?!  Well, anyway....it's Sunday and that means time for another week at The Paper Players.  Our dear friend Ann is the hostess for a just-in-time holiday appropriate theme challenge:

Not having stamped much this week, I needed a little help with the mojo.  I went looking around my favorite blogs and found some fabulous holiday colors at colourQ as well as a great layout from Rita at Freshly Made Sketches.

Armed with my inspiration and the only snowman stamp set I have, Snow Much Fun, here's what I made:

It seems this might also be the favorite snowman stamp set of the design team!  You'll see quite a few of us used it. :-)  But really, who can resist this jolly guy even if you have lots of snowman?!  I stamped him in Jet Black Stazon onto a  Whisper White oval cut with a retired oval die.  I used a blender pen and the challenge colors to fill in his hat, scarf and boots.  I also substituted Pool Party and Gumball Green for the two colors I didn't have. 

I drew a faint trace of Pool Party with the blender pen around his body and face.  It's quite faint but it helps give him slight definition and an icy snowy look.  I also drew in some snowy hills with a Pool Party marker and added some Dazzling Diamonds to the snow...and to the trim of his hat!

To the inside, I added some scraps as well as this whimsical sentiment from More Merry Messages and the little birdie also from Snow Much Fun. 
I just know you'll have snow much fun with this challenge too!  LOL.  Check out the rest of the design team for some fun inspiration and then join us over at The Paper Players...we'd love to see your creations!  Just be sure to join in before Friday, December 7th at Noon (PT).  Have a great week, friends!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

Supplies 
Stamps: Snow Much Fun, More Merry Messages; Distressed Dots
Ink: Pool Party, Gumball Green, Real Red, Regal Rose, Jet Black Stazon
Paper: Pool Party, Gumball Green, Whisper White CS; Be of Good Cheer DSP; Summer Smooches DSP; DSP Patterns Pack Brights
Xtras: Ovals die [ret.]; Oval Nestabilities; 1 1/4" square punch; Blender Pens; Dazzling Diamonds